Thursday, February 13, 2014

Swiss voters approve immigration referendum

Swiss voters approved a very moderate and sensible referendum to curtail continued mass immigration. The mainstream media is behaving as if the sky is falling.

Switzerland is introducing what could be one of the most dangerous experiments in the history of immigration reform.

Swiss voters approved a plan in referendum on Sunday that will set new limits on the number of foreigners who can settle and work in their country. Details haven’t been worked out yet, but strict curbs would be catastrophic for major Swiss industries such as pharmaceuticals, where 45 percent of employees—mainly skilled professionals—come from outside the country.

If there is a shortage of labor in Switzerland in a particular industry, such as pharmaceuticals—and there is not a genuine shortage, by the way, despite big businesses pleas for cheap labor—this simply means that businesses should raise their wages to attract the talent that already exists in the country.

The referendum barely passed despite strong lobbying from the high echelons of business, government, and the prestige press. It’s quite amazing to see the stark divide between the voters and most of the people who run things. Switzerland is a packed country. The last thing the typical citizen wants is more congestion, environmental degradation, depressed wages, cultural conflict, and strains on welfare programs.